Chapter 47

Author's Note- high school tomorrow. I'm terrified. I must put my Alanna-ness on and forge ahead, however. I'll know at the end of the week how updates are going to go.

When the finally stopped kissing, they both sat up, an awkward silence stretched between. Eliena turned to Sam and said, very seriously, "Propose to me."

He looked at her, not bothering to hide his shock. "Wha'?" he asked. "Ye wan' me t' wha'?"

"I want you to propose to me. You know, marriage?" she replied.

"Eli…I don—" She covered his mouth with her hand.

"If you're going to say you don't know me that well, I'm going to say this: you've known me since I was what, five? And if you're going to say 'I don't know', then I may have to hit you. My parents love you, my closest friends love you, and all of Court will love you too. Get it?" Sam licked her hand. "Ew!" She wiped her hands on her dress. "Gross."

Sam kissed her. "I need a rin' afore I can propose t' ye." Eliena squeaked and threw her arms around his neck. She kissed him quickly, over and over again.

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed. Sam laughed.

"Could I ask why ye wanted me t' propose now, though?" he asked. Eliena nodded.

"Of course." She took a deep breath and said, "When you were just kissing me a second ago, I felt something that I've never really felt before. Even with Leo, who I was betrothed to…twice. I just had this voice in the back of my head saying, 'Don't lose this. Hold onto it. Lock it up and throw away the key.' And I knew that I couldn't let you go with a clear conscience." She smiled at him. "And now, look at me. I'm about to cry and I'm getting all sappy on you…" Sam took her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"No, Eliena. I know wha' ye mean," he admitted. "I've known since ye came back t' th' Dove that I wanted ye t' marry me, even if it was unrealistic."

She smiled. "You need to get the ring from my mother."

"Are ye sure she'll give it up again?" Sam teased. "Ye've given it back twice now, haven't ye?" She laughed.

"I think my mother will be OK," she replied. "Even if she doesn't like me flitting from person to person, I think she understands."

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"Jonathan, I just don't understand!" Alanna exclaimed after Eliena and Sam had left with the Conté betrothal ring. "How can she just flit from person to person without having a breakdown?"

"Alanna, don't start," he told her. "We've been through this before: Eliena is very different from you."

The Lioness glared at her husband. "She's practically a whore, Jonathan. She's on her third lover!"

"Now, Alanna," Jonathan reprimanded. "You know that isn't fair. Eliena may not be sleeping with Sam."

"Why not?" Alanna snorted. "She slept with Neal and Leo, didn't she?"

"You're being crude, dearest," he told her.

"But Jonathan." Alanna put on a voice that sounded frighteningly like Ralon of Malven's. Ralon had bullied Alanna during her first year as a page until she had beaten him up. "I'm a simple country noble who thinks he's better than he is." She went back to her normal voice. "Using the logic of certain people I'm allowed to be crude." She smirked. "And, besides, I was raised by a soldier. And you know my vocabulary."

Jonathan sighed. "All too well. But, please, don't be crude about our daughter. You have to admit, she does take after me some."

"That must be where she got the instinct to sleep with every man her age in Court," Alanna snapped. Jonathan was taken aback.

"That's not fair. When you and I first slept together, you were pretending to be a boy. You couldn't easily sleep with other men," he reminded her.

"I didn't even want to sleep with you at first!" she exclaimed. "There was the moonlight and the silliness you were talking…"

"Alanna. Are you honestly going to blame that night on moonlight and words? Because, if you are, I'm going to have to remind you that we did sleep together for the next several months," he replied calmly. His voice was even, but his blue eyes spit flames. "And I didn't sleep with that many women before you."

"Oh, please," Alanna snorted. "I know it was at least Delia, and someone else too, if I recall correctly. And don't tell me you didn't have at least one night with that Josiane of the Copper Isles."

The king and queen glared at each other for a while. It was clear that this was going to be one of the arguments that left sore spots on them both.

"Come on," Jonathan said coldly. "We should get down to breakfast. At least try to look happy about our daughters betrothal." With that, he stalked from the room like a lion.

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By lunch, everyone had heard of the princess's betrothal. When it reached the ears of Nealan of Queenscove, it was clear that he was not entirely over Eliena.

"What about Cressida?" Kel asked.

"Cressida was but a mere girl," Neal replied with a longing sigh. "Eliena was a true woman—one out of reach forever."

Author's Note- I know, that's a bad place to end, but I have to go eat dinner. REVIEW.